Wimbledon Foundation

On Sunday Novak Djokovic won his fourth Wimbledon title, beating South African Kevin Anderson in straight sets in front of a capacity 15,000 fans on Centre Court.

But the truly remarkable story happened off the court, as the Wimbledon Foundation’s ticket resale scheme raised £406,429. The resale scheme allows people who are leaving the venue to return their ticket so it can then be resold, with the proceeds going to charity. The initiative has been running since 1954 and has raised over £3m, which has been used to help rehabilitate military personal, support injured servicemen and women and give homeless people a second chance. Whilst ensuring that no seats are left empty inside Wimbledon.

The women’s and men’s final were started by 11-year-old Tia Carter and Joshua Bills, who had the task of performing the coin toss. Tia was representing the RAF Benevolent Fund, whilst Joshua was representing the Fire Fighters Charity – just two of the charities that the Wimbledon Foundation provides support for.

A further £15,000 was also raised through the sale of tennis balls that had been used during the tournament.